My Yoga History

I am a Yoga Alliance Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher and have been teaching yoga since 2009 when I trained with Yoga To The People NYC. After receiving my Yoga Alliance certification, I went on to teach in New York City for five years before heading west to Wyoming in 2013. Out west, I collaborated with Hot Power Yoga Laramie, teaching classes, creating and running two Yoga Alliance registered teacher trainings and managing the studio. Over the years, I have taught at gyms, schools, private events and massage therapy centers. Due to the new and growing yoga community in Laramie, I was presented with the opportunity to train in new styles of yoga including Sculpt, Yang/Yin, Advanced Practices and Children's Yoga. I have also cultivated experience in yoga outreach, running several series of yoga classes for the Albany County Court Supervised Treatment Program, (a rehabilitative parole program for controlled substance related charges), as well as at the Cathedral Home for Children (a low-security minority facility). In 2015 I trained with the Prison Yoga Project under James Fox, as well as with Yoga Behind Bars in teaching yoga to trauma-impacted demographics, the incarcerated, and other under-served communities. In 2017 I co-founded The PRACTICE School of Magic with Emily Denton to greater serve the subversive community of magical humans who want to learn more about the radical power of yoga. We run yoga teacher trainings, workshops and the Community Apprenticeship continuing education program for yoga teachers. I currently live and teach in Seattle, WA with Yoga Poseurs, Ritual House of Yoga,Troy Lucero's Acme Yoga Project and Yoga Behind Bars.

Training

BFA in Theater, Creating Original Works, New York University New York, NY 2008

200 hr Yoga Alliance Certified New York, NY 2009

Apprenticed in Traditional Hot Yoga with Yoga to the People New York, NY 2010

Teachers & Influences

I was first introduced to the creative power of movement when studying Devised Theater at New York University Tisch School of the Arts with Marleen Pennison, Rebecca Berg, Dan Weltner and Tomi Tsunodu. NYU was also the first home of my acrobatic choreographic work, the study of Pilates, Movement Anatomy and West African Dance. I learned African Dance at NYU with Peter Bass and abroad in Ghana with the dance program at the University of Legon. This creative form of free movement led to more in-depth explorations of movement and yoga teacher training with Yoga to the People in 2009. In NYC, I was fortunate to be trained and mentored by Lindsay Dombrowski, Nikki Carter, and Sam Chase. I have been lucky to learn and practice under such experienced teachers as Isaac Pena, Jared McCann, Eddie Stern and Sri Dharma Mittra. In Seattle, I continue to study under and be inspired by the Ashtanga-inspired teachings of Troy Lucero at the Acme Yoga Project.

As we all must 'stand on the shoulders of giants', the teachers of my teachers, their writings and philosophies should also be noted. In this case these giants are the likes of Pina Bausch, Twyla Tharp, Bishnu Gosh, Tony Sanchez, BKS Iyengar, Sri K Pattabhi Jois, Richard Freeman, and Bryan Kest.

Collaborators

My continued growth and success is possible only by the support of a strong community of powerful and innovative peers. I rely on the advice and inspiration of international circus artist, Caitlin Larsson and London-based choreographer Heather Jeffries. Yoga teachers and body-work professionals who influence and enrich my process include: Julia Planine-Troiani, Paula Reyes, Joe Burley, Sarah Grace, Emily Denton, Rachael Savage and Lindsay Dombrowski, amongst many others.

Affilate Yoga Studios

Gracious Spaces where I have Taught

Yoga to the People St. Marks, 38th St, Chelsea, Brooklyn NY, San Francisco, Seattle

Yoga Agora Queens NY

Hot Power Yoga Laramie WY

Zen Central Laramie WY

Laramie Recreation Center Laramie WY

MiYoga RD Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Yoga to the People Seattle WA

SweatBox Capitol Hill Seattle. WA

District Yoga and Fitness Seattle WA

We Yoga Co-op Seattle WA

Breathe Hot Yoga Seattle WA

Yoga Poseurs Seattle WA

Ritual House of Yoga Seattle WA

MY COMMUNITY

Troy Lucero'sAcme Yoga Project

did you know that a bunch of awesome weirdos get together before the sun rises to practice handstands in a Ballroom of the Oddfellows building? Well i am all about those weirdos. troy lucero is the real deal and his ashtanga-based shala is one of the best places i know of to learn and grow as a human. you can find me most mornings (when i win the battle of waking up early) Practicing Mysore Style Independent study, taking or assisting Troy's guided class. His Approach is as broad as it is specific and open for all levels while being clear and unique. The community of yogis and teachers serve to create a shala that feels welcoming and intriguing every time I show up. I feel fortunate to have found my Teacher in the PNW.

Some Words about the Man Himself:

Troy Lucero has dedicated the last 30 years to the practice and study of yoga. He has developed a multifaceted technique that allows a person of any age, size, and lifestyle to tap into the full potential of what a yoga asana practice has to offer. Skilled at drawing out the natural intelligence inherent in each student, Troy has the unique ability to assess and understand each student’s body and yoga practice with humor and patience.

For More about this Dope Yoga and it's fearless leader check out troylucero.com

Poseurs Yoga

You can find me practicing, writing, (and teaching!) with the Poseurs Community, which pops up with events all over and regular weekly sessions in Capitol Hill @Dance Underground, @LoveCityLove and @ The Vajra. We keep it weird and fill it with the gnarliest type of love.

A BIT ABOUT POSEURS FROM FOUNDER EMILY DENTON:

'Poseurs started as a Yoga Fanzine, and has continued its run as the longest running yoga zine to date. It has grown into a full on class series, and clothing line. Our mission is to bring affordable yoga to the people, and to open up the conversation about the weirdness, and awesomeness of this practice.'

practice: school of Magic

Last Year I got mad lucky! the fabulous Emily Denton (of Punk Rock and Poseurs Yoga fame) and i decided to go into business together. WE wanted to bring the Practical magic of yoga to a different kind of community and to share it in a different kind of way than we saw modeled on the yoga spaces around us. Practice runs a yearly summer 200hr yoga Teacher training as well as a bevy of CONTINUING ed offerings in the form of workshops, retreats and community APPRENTICESHIPS. We are over the moon at the beauty of the community forming with us and blessed by the loving reception by yogis and yoga teachers in the seattle area.

Mission:

PSOM is a non traditional yoga community, made of true life rebels and misfits, united by the idea that yoga is for YOU (and you, and you), and that all anyone needs to study yoga is a curious outlook and a fertile, supportive tribe. This approach creates a different kind of freedom than you might find at a yoga studio or Shala. The PRACTICE: School of Magic Teacher Training creates a structure to dig even deeper into the study of yoga, through immersive time and collective rumination. This is the science of accessible magic.The whole idea is to show up as real people, examining all this dope yoga shit with the support of one another.

Yoga behind Bars

I first heard about Yoga Behind Bars when I was living in Wyoming and investigating yoga as a tool for outreach and healing geared towards trauma-impacted communities. After working with We Yoga on several YBB fundraisers and attending the James Fox's Prison Yoga Project training in San Francisco, all roads pointed to training with Yoga Behind Bars. The training was invaluable and the inspiration and support I have received to follow my instinct towards service has been incredible.

I currently teach youth in a Local Facility. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to serve, volunteer and Donate To this amazing organization

“From a few gracious inmates per week, to thousands of prisoners being served, Yoga Behind Bars has grown out of the belief that every human being has the ability to evolve into a realized individual. Years after YBB’s inception, thousands of people are living proof that anyone can be their best self when given the opportunity.”~Shaina Traisman, Founder of Yoga Behind Bars

For more info about the living compassion of YBB go to: yogabehindbars.org and keep up to date on social media @yogabehindbars

Acro Yoga

I have been curious about the practice of acroyoga for the last decade or so, ever since a college performance piece introduced me to weight sharing as a creative means. It has always come up as a natural pathway for me, as it combines my love of group action with yoga and a flare towards performance and the circus arts. Since heading to the Pacific North West I have been learning and growing my acro practice with my strong base (and main squeeze).

We experiment and jam around outside when the weather is nice and indoors at OmCulture on Tuesday nights.

SEATTLE SCIENCE FOUNDATION

I first learned about the Seattle Science Foundation from Program Specialist and fellow yoga teacher, Clara Greaney. We found a shared love of anatomy, and a curiosity about how the scientific and medical community can inform and grow the yoga experience (and maybe, hopefully vice versa). To my great delight, Clara and the SSF invited me to attend a lab and observe procedures and interact with the precious learning tool of human tissue. (A dream come true for me!) The We Yoga Teacher Training was even asked to observe a Spinal Procedures lab and engage with neurosurgeons and medical practitioners.

A little bit about what the fine people at SSF do:

"We are a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the quality of patient care through education, research, innovation and technology...We get people to pay attention, connect and engage with medical and scientific content. "